Art of upholstering and web and spring assembly therefor



REFOR Dec. 9, 1941.

M. LEVINE ART OF UPHOLSTERING AND WEB AND SPRING ASSEMBLY THE Filed Feb. 18, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheetl Dec. 9, 1941. L VI 2,265,532

ART OF UPHOLSTERING AND WEB AND SPRING ASSEMBLY THEREFOR Filed Feb. 18, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 9, 1941 ART or UPno sTERINGiAND WE SPRING ASSEMBLY THEREFOR Mac- Levine, Brooklyn, N. Y; Ap lication Februar 18, 1939", SerialNo. 257,265

5 Claims:

This invention relates to the art of' upholstering and-to a Web and spring assembly. such as is useful for upholstering purpose, for instance, for upholstering the seats and backs of." chairs, couches, automobiles, bed bottoms, and other. structures or items of furniture into which coil springs usually enter so as. to afford a resilient foundation against and on which the body may be comfortably posed or supported. It dealsmore especially with a prefabricated web andspring assembly such as reache the furniture-- maker or user ready for installation in theitem of furniture or frame to be upholstered.

The web or webbing forming part of the assembly of the present invention. may consist of a band of stout, woven fabric, for instance, juteyarn fabric,.such as'has heretofore been used forstaying coil springs in upholstered-v furniture. The usual prior art practice involves, however, the initial step of fastening web lengths tothe frame andthen sewingv the end turns of the coil: springs to the already-fastened.lengths. Ihe assembly hereof, on the other hand, is prefabri cated in the sense that the coil' springs ultimately to he stayed by the web in the finished. article of furniture or other upholstered. structure are pre-- liminarily mounted and stayed in the desired spaced relationship on the web, wherefore. the assembly may then be fastened with minimum effort to the article of furniture or other structune to be upholstered even by comparatively unskilled workmen. By virtue of its being. prefab.- ric'ated as a distinct entity or article of manufacture' apart from the article of furniture or structure to be upholstered thereby, the assembly hereof can readily and economically be fabricated. with more effective and longer-enduring elements for staying orfastening the-springs to the web in the predeterminedor spaced relationship de-' sired. Thus, it becomes possible according to the present invention to stay the springs on theweb by. metallic fastener elements, such as pronged rivets, staples, clips, or their equivalents, which may be anchored firmly to the web fabric and then be clinched tightly over the desired regibns of" an end turn of each coil' spring 'sothat the spring" cannot be' dislodged excepting. in the re mote" and unlikely contingency that the. stout web fabric itself is ruptured. or otherwise gives way at the region of" anchorage of; the metallic fastener thereto.

Another advantage of the presentinvention-is that it enables the manufacturer oftheassembly hereof to' su'pply the user with such assembly in.

the form or an indefinite orcontinuous length,

for instance, as a roll accumulation or asafolded package. So that the assembly hereof may be stored and. shipped: whileoccupying a small cornpass and-hence affording important-economy, the present invention preferably also involves compressing or substantially flattening the springsim the assemblyand maintainingthe springs in compressed or substantially flattened state until: the assembly has been fastened-in desired position to. the framein which it is to serve its ultimate use. While various: expedientsmay be adopted: in maintaining therspringsof the assembly hereof in compressed or flattened state, a desirableoneis to secure to the web immediately'under the end turn of each spring. a fabric strip whose end-portions are free and. can be brought together in lapping relationship over the tree endturn oi thespring while incompressed or substantially flattened state and then be fixed-insuch lapping re' lationship, as by an eyelet) rivet, staple, or the like, to the web fabric, thereby tightly encompassing the spring in its substantially flattened state and. maintaining itin such state. With the springs thus. assembled in substantially flattened:

' state with the. web to which they are stayed' not' only does it becomepossible conveniently to putup the. assembly as a roll accumulation or as a folded package occupying. comparatively little space,. but the work of installing the assembly is facilitated, since the springs do not interfere with the operators as they proceed tocut desired lengths of theassembly from an accumulation, or stretch the lengths taut on the frame to be upholstered} o'r fasten the lengthsin taut-condition to the frame, Moreover, there is no tendency whatever'for the compressed or substantially flattenedl springs of the assemblyto entangle: orinterlock with one another duringshipment, either when the assembly is precutas predetermined lengths or exists in the form of acontinuouslength or accumulations and the user is-hence" not put tov the trouble and. expense ofidisentangling. the springs. from one another.- Once the assembly hereofihas been installed or tacked: in

place for ultimate service, it'isa simple matter to restore the. springs totheir normalheight, for, by merely cutting. or snipping transversely the spring-confining strip'al'o'ng two transverse lines each lying outside of: the fastener for the overlapping strip portions, the springs are releasedor permitted. to recoil t'o their normal height a With the foregoingand' other featuresandob jects in view,. the present invention will=nowbe/ desc'ril'led fiirthendetaif with particular refer;

eh'ceto"theaccornpanyihg drawings, wherein,

tially flattened normal state.

Figure 1 depicts in perspective a coil spring and a fragment of web carrying a spring-confining strip thereon and prepared or conditioned, pursuant to the present invention,for the retention of an end turn of such spring in producing a fragment of the assembly hereof.

Figure 2 is a composite front-elevational and longitudinal or medial sectional view of a fragment of the assembly produced from the elements appearing in Figure l, the web, springconfining' strip, and the lower end turn of the spring being shown in section and the lower end turn being fastened at one region to the web.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary -plan...view. of .the assembly hereof at a region where the end turn" of a spring has been clinched by a metallic 'fas tener to the web, such fastener serving-also to.

unite the spring-confining web. 7

Figure 4 represents a longitudinal orfmedial section through a fragment of the assembly with the spring in compressed or substantially flat tened' state and 'with "the end portions of f thespring-confining strip brought upwardly over the sides .of thespring toward each other and meeting in lapping relationship substantially at;

the center of the" concentric spring turns.

"Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, excepting that it shows an eyelet driven through the lapping end portionsof the spring-confining strip and through the web, the spring thus being maintained in substantially flattened state.

Figure 6 shows in perspective an indefinite or continuous length of the assembly hereof convoluted'into'roll form. 7 j

Figure '7 similarly shows an indefinite or continuous length of the finished folded toand fro intostack form; V p 1 Figure8 illustrates in perspective the assembly hereof installed in the back of a chair, some of I the springs appearing in compressed or substans'tate and others in released or fabric strip .to.v the assembly hereof Figure 9 shows in perspective a fragmentfor length of a'modified form of assembly embodying I the invention hereof, such form being especially adapted for heavy duty, as in a chair'seat,

Figure -10 illustrates in perspectivetheassembly of Figure 9 installed-in a chair seat, the

. padding and' external fabric of whichisshown jbrokenaway. Y 7

i -'Asindicated in Figure l, the web used for. the purposes hereof may consist of a band I!) a of stout, woven fabric, such as jute-yarn'fabric or its equivalent, which'band may be of a width :ranging from about 2 /2 to about l /z inches. j Superposed on the web or band [0 is a narrower strip I I, which is designed to serve as the ele ment for confining or holding'a spring in comhe pair of fasteners double-prong rivets, theprongsfl of which may bereadily forced or driven'through the fabric of the web I0 and the'fabric of the strip j l.| the.

heads l3 of which arenof ubstantial area and h ee g e a ains s ifiiqientl e jfab i to be. 7?

strongly resistant against being pulled through such fabric. The pair of rivets may lie substantially on the longitudinal medial line of the web l0 and the strip l I and be spaced from each other a distance corresponding"substantially to the diameter of an end turn of the coil spring to be stayed on the web. 7 7

It should be appreciated that in actual practice a pair of the pronged rivets may in appropriately spaced relationship be driven in a single operation through a continuous web or band, a strip ll being superposed on the web at each'of the spaced areas thereof on which it is to be prepared for assembly with a .coil spring, as

already described.

' "After a web portion has been prepared for assembly with a coil spring, for instance, the usual double-cone or hour-glass coil spring l4 "appearing" in Figure 1, an end turn Ma of such spring may be placed on the prepared web portion sothat diametrically opposite regions of such end turn are received within the 'spacesli defined between the prongs [2 of each rivet. It will be noted that the web It) is of'a'width approximating the diameter of an endturn. Ma of each coil spring. The prongs, which are preferably offset slightly relative to each other and are vertically upstanding from the edge or pe-v ripheral portion of the rivethead l3, may then be clinched or bent by a suitable clinching tool toward each other over the round. wire consti tuting the end turn Ma, as best shown in Figures) 2 and 3. The desired tenacious fixation ofthe' end turn I la to the Web ID is. ensured by"providing prongs i2 of alength sufficient to engage. over a substantial arcuate portion of the wire of.

such end turn, for instance, anarcuate portion ranging from about to .When'its prongs are clinched over the end turn Ma of the spring, the rivets also function to unite the strip H' firmly to the web I 0. It mightbe noted that fixation of ajcoil springto the web If! may be performed on a continuous, web as it isbeing' withdrawn from a roll, successive portions of such web each beingacted upon by a machine adapted to drive a pair of pronged rivets or staples therethrough and through a spring-confining strip ,3 receiving the end turn of a coil spring within" the spaces defined by the prongsof each ofjthe pair of rivets, and then being acted upon by ,a' suitable tool serving to clinch the prongs ower the end turn ofthe spring and therebyto effect such fixation. In some instances, however, the. pronged rivets may .in essentially one operation" be driven through the Web ID. and the stri'pnl If andtheir prongs immediately clinched ini po'si tion over the end 'turn of. a spring appropriately.

positioned on the strip during the'rivet drivir'ig operation, in which latter casea web may bie -fed from -a roll through theriv'et-driving, machine; as the operator mounts successive spring-com, fining strips and springs in. the desired, spaced positionson the web for fixation'; to ,the'iwebh As therweb and spring assembly hereofemerges' from therivet-driving and/0r rivet-clinching in-. strumentality,predetermined lengths maybe cut from the continuous assembly; or, if desired, the

continuous assembly maybe maintained as such for the spring-compressing .orfspring-flattening operation presently tobe described,

Each spring of the assembly hereof may, :as shown in Figure 4, be compressed until its height l isonly a small fraction of normalorfloriginal- Thus, hourl -glass .springjjhaving a nqrmalheight of; sayyabout 8"to '10; inches, may

height.

aacaeaa be; compressed until; reduced;v to; a: height: of, say, aboutone-hal'f 1119112012 even; lessa. Such compressioni may be accomplished: in: any suitable way; for instance; in: as spring-compressing jig. capable of: exerting pressure on opposite: spring sectors: lying; outside. of that sector to be engaged or en.- compassedt by the end portions of. the spring.- confining strip ll. While the spring M is in. compressed or substantially flattened. state, the free end. portions Llaof the strip H; are brought. upwardly over thespring, toward: eachother and: brought together tightly; inlapping relationship. at. substantially the centeror axis of the con,- centric, spring; convolutionsi. llhereupon, as indicated in Figure 5, an eyelet [6 or its equiva lent may be driven through the lapping portions of the strip 1 I and through the superposed strip and. weblayers LI and k0,. respectively, consequence of; which the spring is. confined or held in; its.- compressed state. With; the successivesprings: of thefcon-tinuous, assembly hereof con:- fi'ned: or manitained. insuch. compressed state. it. isjpossible to convolutethe, continuous assembly into a roll R, such as depicted in Figure 6,, or into-a zig-zag folded stack or package P, such as shown. in Figure. '7', or into some other compact and; convenient; accumulation or package. In someinstances, on the other'hand, the continuous assembly hereof comprising springs in com pressedor substantially flattened-- condition may be. cut. into lengths predetermined: to: suit the ultimate. users purpose.

At its place of use,,for instance, in an establishment. for manufacturing chairs equipped with upholsteredbacks and/or seats, the continuous web-andlspring. assembly hereof may be cut into the. desired predetermined lengths, if this has not; already been. done. by the assembly manufacturer. A chair back upholstered with the assembly hereof is illustrated in Figure 8, wherein.

a chair frame F of wood or the like is shown ascomprisi'nga rectangular or box-like back frame B' defined by upper and lower back frame members i1 and. 1.8., respectively, and side. members [9. Extending vertically from. the. upper back member IT to the lower back member, 58 are shown a plurality of lengths of the web and spring assembly hereof, which lengths. may be. tacked in taut condition. at their marginal portions to such members. Because the springs assembled with such lengths as they are being installed are. in compressedor substantially flat tened; state, the.upholstererencounters no trouble whatever in stretching such lengths to a taut condition as he. tacks. or fastens them at.

their marginal portions to the upper and lower back. members, After installation. in the back, the springsof the assembly may be released or permitted to recoil to their normal height; and, to this end, each of the spring-confining strips is cut, as .With a knife or scissors, along transverse lines on each side ofthe eyelet ISor like fastener. The strip pieces thus created in the course of releasingia spring comprise a piece llb lying i'mmediatelynext to the web It! and immediately under the end turn of. the spring anchored to the web; such piece preferably extending somewhat beyond the prcnged rivetfasteners and thus serving-to reinforce the web. whereat there is especial tendency for. wear, namely, immediately under the end turn l'd'a. Such pieces Il'c as correspond to the. previously lapping end portions of the strip H and/or as lie within the end turn Ma may either be left as such or be trimmed away close to the eyelet IE or its equivalent.

Since the web portions at thev centrat zones of the: successive: lengths of the.- web. andc spring as.- semblyhereof, as installed in: a. chair back; .usual; 1y undergo maximunr deflection. in. use... this desirable: to: inhibit excessivestretching tendency at. such portions. As: shown. irrFigur 8?, undue or: excessive stretching at. such web portions is obviatedby reinforcing such portions; with a. transverselyextending web.v 201 tacked; or fastened: taut: condition to the; side members I 9 of the back and: suitably interlaced; with, the; vertically extending; Webs M3,.v Highly effective interlacing ofthe transversely extending: web; 20' may be: realizedswhen, as shown, the: end convolution Ma:

. of each spring [4 is-of. adia-meter greater than the width of a. springrstaying webits, for; in such case, the-weblfl ma-y be inserted or threaded through an opening 2 I corresponding to a sector defined by one edge of the spring-staying: web; It. and anend turn Ma, thence under: the back: face of the web Ill, and thence: out through an:- other opening Zia corresponding to another sec:- tor defined by the oppositeedge of. the spring-- staying web H3 and the endturn l-a such threadeing: being repeated: through the similar, transversely aligned openings 2|: and 24a associated" with. the successive: vertical lengths of the assembly hereof. Of course, reinforcing transverse: lengths of web. 28 may also.- be used for rein. forcing. the other transversely aligned web-pontions lying immediately in back. of the springs, at which deflecting pressure or stress is exerted on. the. spring-staying webs. Again, the web and spring assembly lengths hereof maybe in--- stalled so as. to: extend. transversely across the: chair back, in which event the: reinforcing webs: would. be interlacedwith the; assembly lengths; vertically. of. the frame, that is, would extendein. criss-crossing relationship to the assembly lengths. When. the, installation of the web. and. spring assembly hereof. in a chair back has-.beenz completed, the usual. subsequent upholstering steps may be. performed, including the tying or lashing of" the free end portions of the released. springs. to the frame 13, the. covering, of the. upper spring portions with. felt or padding. and the. covering of the padding with the desired external or exposed upholstery fabric.

While the web and spring assembly hereinbefore described may be installed. chair. seats. or bottoms, yet a more advantageous form of. assembly hereof for use in, a. chair seat is shown. in Figure 9; wherein there appears, in addition. to the main springrstaying web l0, an auxiliary or supplementary spring-staying web 22. web 22 may be of fabric similar to. that of' the. web it; and, although depicted as being. disltinctly narrower than the, web It; it may be as, wide or even wider than the web I'll, if desired. The web 22, like the spring-confining strip I'I',.v may be fastened to the strip I tl'by thevery same pronged rivets or equivalent fasteners as serve to fix an end convolution I la of, the spring I4. to the Web I if. A length of the web and spring.

assembly of Figure 9 is depicted in Figure 10 as being installed in a chair seat or bottom, whose rectangular or box-like frame is of sub.- stantial height or depth and comprises back and front rails or frame members 23 and 24', respectively, and side rails or frame members 25.

An important advantage of. the form of assembly of. Figure 9 is. that it comprises. web. lengths adaptedfor securement at" both the up.- per' and" lower edges or faces of' the seat frame, for, as appears in Figure 10, the free end portions26 of the web. may be tacked or :otherwise? suitably fastened in taut condition to the loweredges of the rails 23.and'24, whereas the free end portions 21 of the auxiliary web 22 may be tacked or otherwise suitably fastened in taut condition to .the upper edges of such rails. In effect, therefore, one. realizes thereby the sus- 25 and interlaced in criss-crossing relationship with the already-installed lengths of the web and spring assembly hereof. inforcing web lengths 28 may beused to reinforce the installed lengths of Web and spring assembly hereof. It is especially desirable thus to reinforce the installed assembly lengths at their aligned central spring-supporting portions, at

which maximum deflection tends to occur. It

will, of course, be understood that in installing the form of web and spring assembly shown in Figure 9 in a chair seat or bottom, the springs are released from their compressed or substantially flattened state, as has already been described; and the fabric pieces I lb and I la into which the originalspring confining strip II is cut so as to release the springs may serve the same function and/or be treated in the same manner as has already been described in connection with the similar pieces of Figure 8. The upper or free end portions of the springs I 4 of Figure 10 may be tied or lashed, as customarily, to the upper edges or the frame rails 23, 24, and

25, whereupon the'upholsterer may proceed to cover the upper spring portions with a layer of i felt or padding 29 of suitable thickness and to cover such felt or padding with the desired external or exposed upholstery fabric, such as cloth,

leather, etc. 7 V r A web andv spring assembly embodying the invention hereof mayIdepart in one or more respects from the particular exemplary assemblies 1 hereinbefore described. Thus, in lieu of using a separate spring-confining strip for each of the i 1 springs, it is possible to use one strip for the purpose of confining a plurality or succession of I springs in a compressed or substantially flattened 1 state.

vide free end strip portions of sufficient length to be folded over the desired number or succession of springs and to be tied together in lapping. relationship at substantially thejcentral region of at least one of the compressed springs, an eye- I let, rivet, ,or like fastener being driven through In such instance, it is necessary to prosuch lapping portions and through the springstaying web and also through the strip and the spring-staying web at substantially the center of each of theother springs tobe confined in a substantially flattened state. Again, it is possible ito use suitably stout strand material, such as rope, for encompassingor Iconfining'each substantiallyflattened spring or a succession of such lsprings, in which case, a fastener element or fasltener elements separate from those serving to stay the end turn of a spring may be necessary to anchor the spring-confining strand material One or more such reto the spring-staying'web. The spring and. Web

assembly jhereof is not necessarily limited to the,

web material, for such spring-staying web ma-' terial may be replaced by suitably flexible m'etallic bands or webs. Other changes or modifications are possible'in the web and spring assembly hereof without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention hereof as defined by the appended claims. r

The expression fcoil-spring is used in the foregoing description and in the appended claims in' its comprehensive sense to denote various forms or shapes of 'upholstering springs, for instance, cylindrical and conical forms of springs a double-conical or hour-glass form as well as of spring.

I claim: 7 a 1. A prefabricated assembly for upholstering purpose comprising a web, coil springs mounted in spaced relationship and in substantially flattened state on said web, means for staying said springs on said web, and readilyseverable strip material tightly encompassing and maintaining said springs in substantially flattened state on said web. I

2. A prefabricated assemblyfor purpose comprising a web, coil springs mounted in spaced relationship and in substantially flattened state on said web, fasteners for staying said springs'onf said web, and readily severable strip material united to said web by saidfasteners, said strip material tightly encompassing and maintaining said springs in substantially flattened state on said web. I V

3. A prefabricated assembly for upholstering purpose comprising a web, coil springs mounted in spaced relationship and in substantially flattened state on said web, means'forstaying said springs on said web, areadily severable strip tightly encompassing and maintaining each of said springs in substantially flattened state on derlying each spring and end portions overlying each spring and lapping each other at substan tially the center of each spring, and a fastener passing through said lapping strip portionsand said web.

4. A prefabricated assembly for upholstering purpose comprising aweb, coil springs mounted in spaced, relationship and in substantially flattened state on said web, fasteners for staying said spring on said web, a readily severable strip tightly encompassing and maintaining each of said springs in substantially flattened state on said web, each such strip including a portion underlying each spring and united. to said web by said fasteners and end portions overlying each spring and lapping each other at substantially the center of each spring, and a fastener passing through said lapping strip portions and said web.

frames with webs. and coil springs, those steps which comprise mounting such springs in spaced relationshippon a web, staying each spring on theweb at the end turn contacting with the web, substantially flattening each spring and confining it in substantially flattened state, installing the resulting web and spring assembly in suchupholstering 5. In the art of upholstering back and bottom flattened state to their nor- 

